By Ada Mendez
Miami-Dade Health
The very first time I ate quinoa was during an event organized by a local agency that promotes health. “Nice, different grain”, I thought on that occasion.
For many years I kept believing quinoa was a grain, but it’s not. Quinoa is actually similar to spinach, chard or beets. It’s only when you boil it in water or prepare it in an electric cooker that it takes on a texture much like white rice.
One cup of cooked quinoa has about 40 fewer calories than the same amount of white rice, but the real benefit is in the carbohydrates. White rice has almost 15 times more grams of carbohydrates, and quinoa provides only five more grams of fiber and double the protein.
That is precisely the secret of quinoa if you want to find an ideal substitute of rice: it will not only help you cut calories, but it’ll also fill you so that you end up eating less. For some fast results, try substituting quinoa everywhere you would normally use rice.
Quinoa has been consumed for thousands of years in South America, although it only became trendy and reached “superfood status” only a few years ago. As an interesting fact, Incas referred to it as the “mother of all grains” and believed it to be sacred.
These days, you can find quinoa and products made with it all over the world, especially in health food stores and restaurants that offer a menu based on natural foods. There are three main types: white, red and black.
If in the end, you want to stick to rice, an ideal solution is to use brown rice instead of white rice – it is a naturally low glycemic index carbohydrate that will satisfy your appetite and help control portion sizes.